smokingboot: (default)
[personal profile] smokingboot
Toasts to the queen, toasts to the ladies, toasts to the worshipful master's lady, toasts to the worshipful master's lady's sisters and mother, toasts to the people who were at a Masonic event for the first time, toasts to the worshipful master, toasts to the one who will be worshipful master soon, toasts to the one was worshipful master before... the most I could ever bring to the Masons would be an ability to charge my glass with the speed of a tripping whippet.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the quasi religious background to it all... certainly that determined sceptic [livejournal.com profile] larians looked politely quizzical. They said grace twice. Who says grace twice? First they spoke it and then they sang it, to taped wurlitzer music. The old Monty Python sketch, 'Postal Blackmail' rose before my eyes, and for just a second I had to suppress unworthy smirks. The glittering discoball and occasional Elvis impressions added to the surreality of the evening but mainly it was a room full of very kind people trying to raise money for charity, and succeeding. They auctioned off robes and aprons connected to various degrees of masonry, but only actual masons could take part - a pity, I would have liked to check out the symbols on the pinnies. Instead, the ladies got hatboxes complete with pretty mugs, chocolates, candles and bath stuff, and I was the baffled recipient of an enormous white hydrangea. This however, was not the greatest mystery of the evening... behind the hotel bar was a man filled with such loathing against his employer, he suffered from measure blindness; Larians ordered a shot of whisky, the bartender poured something like a third of a bottle into the glass. This happened at least twice; I was waiting for him to tell us the secret of the Widow's Son. Instead, he poured us half pints of all the good whisky in the hotel. There's a story there, I just know it...

photo 3 (2)
photo 4
photo (1)

Date: 2014-06-02 07:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jfs.livejournal.com
There are shops selling masonic accoutrements on the street outside the Grand Lodge between Holborn and Covent Garden ... I'm just saying ...

Date: 2014-06-03 04:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] smokingboot.livejournal.com
I didn't even know there was a Grand Lodge between Holborn and Covent Garden! Thank you JFS I might just do a little investigating...

Date: 2014-06-03 05:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jfs.livejournal.com
Http://www.ugle.org.uk/freemasons-hall/tours

Usually Monday to Friday but a friend whose dad is "connected" got us in on a Saturday a few years ago.

I think you'd really like it - some of the architecture of the different temples is stunning.

Date: 2014-06-04 11:23 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] smokingboot.livejournal.com
Ooh, thank you for this link!

I would like to take a proper look at some of the temples... the nearest I had to a disappointment was that Ladies Night was in a hotel, pleasant enough but I was hoping to poke around some sort of guild hall type arrangement. This looks fascinating.

Profile

smokingboot: (Default)
smokingboot

February 2026

S M T W T F S
1 234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Feb. 2nd, 2026 02:25 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios